Goodbye, South Africa

Well, it has been an exciting 5+ weeks in South Africa but I'm ready to move along.  I'll admit - the last couple days of working from my room have actually been really nice.  No alarm clock, no strict schedule, and attire that includes only a tee shirt and shorts.  Maybe a work-from-home job should be in my future?  

Even though I was supposed to be starting my next property review remotely, a lot of time was spent on rearranging my upcoming travel schedule (again).  With all the political instability in Egypt, my plans to visit our properties there were cancelled and I was told that I could take my break a month early.  To be honest, my initial reaction was mixed.  I had already started tentatively planning things with the expectation of being home in early September.  However, I will gladly accept an earlier break.  

As I was planning my new schedule, I realized that my break was coinciding perfectly with Drum Corps finals week in Indianapolis...  So many questions ran through my mind: Could I possibly fly from Qatar to Indiana?  Would I even be awake for the show with all that jet lag?  Would this officially make me the biggest band geek ever? (Ok, I already know the answer to that one...)

Within a 24-hour period, I received schedule approvals from all my contacts and found a flight that wouldn't require me to pay too much out-of-pocket for this stop in Indianapolis.  How could I resist?   I may be the first person in history to fly from Qatar to Indiana, just for a night of drum corps.  

By this point, all disappointment in the schedule change is completely gone and I am looking forward to some well-deserved time off that is finally confirmed.  Well, 99.9% confirmed.  (There are never any guarantees in my job).  

As I was packing my suitcase, I decided that it would be fun to watch my last sun rise in South Africa from the coast.  I set my alarm clock and laid out my running gear so I could incorporate the sunrise into my morning workout. 

When I left the hotel, it was still really dark.  I jogged carefully along the edge of the resort to avoid any missteps and turned onto the trail.  At this point, the daylight was just starting to emerge, which helped my visibility a lot.  Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a deer ran right in front of me (at least I think it was a deer - or some other massive, scary animal).  I literally stood still for 5 minutes with my heart beating like crazy, debating whether to keep going or to turn around.  I'm not a fan of wildlife, so I decided that it would be best to just turn back and run like the wind.  

I was disappointed that I couldn't watch my final sunrise from the coast, but I tried seeing the silver lining: at least I got my heart rate up!  Next stop, Tanzania...